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Plugged Toilet Spout

Small lip that drains water into a bucket
  (+16, -1)(+16, -1)
(+16, -1)
  [vote for,
against]

At least once, my toilet has plugged up and overflowed all over the floor before I was able to unclog it.

If there was a small spout moulded into the lip of the bowl, one could place a bucket or wastebasket under the spout until finding a plunger or turning off the water.

A better solution might be to run a hose to the sink or some other drain, but that could get complicated.

discontinuuity, Jan 09 2006

Toilet Macerator Toilet_20Macerator
Commonly in use in RVs, Boats, etc. [csea, Jan 14 2006]

Updated Link http://www.screwfix...1&cn=1&cd=1&x=0&y=0
Toilet Macerator [csea, Jan 14 2006]

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       I can't say I've ever had this problem, but the solution is excellent in its simplicity. A soggy criossant for you.
neilp, Jan 09 2006
  

       A simple solution would be to attach a flow meter the drain that conects the tank to the toilet bowl. Once a certain amount of water has gone to the bowl the drain is closed.
Antegrity, Jan 09 2006
  

       This idea gets my vote, however, when you make a product that has a fail-safe mechanism you almost admit that you expect it to fail. Toilets tend to get plugged up simply because they are cheap toilets. For what it would cost to make a toilet with an overflow spout you could probably make a better toilet that does not get plugged up.
Jscotty, Jan 11 2006
  

       There's this silver pipe behind the toilet, as I'm sure all toilets have, it should have an oval knob on it, turn it and the water should stop flowing into the toilet. Then you may fix the problem. I think that pipe is the water flow valve, so if you shut that off the toilet will stop overflowing.
EvilPickels, Jan 11 2006
  

       Hmmm. My toilets often block due to the massive anal output of my dog which I have to pick up and flush. The toilet bowl is designed to hold the entire contents of the tank so that it won't overflow when completely blocked, I thought all toilets were designed like this, or are you reflushing on an already full bowl?
wagster, Jan 11 2006
  

       //My toilets often block due to the massive anal output of my dog which I have to pick up and flush//   

       You can't take the toilet out of a dog but you can take a dog to a toilet.
skinflaps, Jan 11 2006
  

       I can't read this any other way than "Plugged Toilet Sprout", and it reminds me of the joke about the man at the doctor's, with a lettuce leaf sticking out his bottom.
AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jan 11 2006
  

       Hey... you gonna eat that?
zigness, Jan 12 2006
  

       I beleive that my experience featured a toilet that was already plugged up and somewhat full, due to the negligance of someone in my family. It then overflowed when I flushed it.   

       I just think that it would be a good idea to direct the flow on the off-chance that it did overflow.   

       And you're probably right that well-designed toilets would not overflow like this. Mine is a low-volume toilet meant to conserve water.
discontinuuity, Jan 12 2006
  

       //due to the negligance of someone in my family//   

       I many times wonder if I had such a bad memory when I was as young as my kids. They've multiple flushed on the stopped toilet several times despite evidence & teaching on what will happen.   

       The last time was several days ago when the oldest twin came & told me "Dad!! The toilet 'floated'!"   

       floated. floated? WTF? .... OH NO! they mean flooded!
"Dad! It's all over the floor!"
  

       I'm all for the move the wastebasket to catch the overflow idea +++
Zimmy, Jan 12 2006
  

       //I can't say I've ever had this problem// What? Do you live on another planet? Good grief!
zigness, Jan 12 2006
  

       //My toilets often block due to the massive anal output of my dog // - you need the "Toilet Macerator" (qv). If you can't find a commercial one, have your local friendly neighbourhood plummer fit an Insinkerator to your outflow pipe. I guess they should market a version of that in special packaging rebranded the "InsTinkerator"...
gtoal, Jan 12 2006
  

       Would be appropriate :)
wagster, Jan 12 2006
  

       Two comments on plumbing. [fogfreak], the U-shaped trap in a toilet--or a sink---is the only thing that stops it from smelling like an outhouse. If there were a trap-less "bypass" line going around the trap, you'd get sewer gases flowing backwards through it. You could put a separate, little trap in the bypass, I suppose, since it wouldn't need to accomodate large, uh, objects. [Pickels], the water shut-off valve will stop feeding the tank, but if you close it when the tank is full, the tank can still drain into the bowl and add a gallon or two to the flood.   

       I like the idea, I just don't want to have to be the first one to explain it to houseguests. "If the toilet starts overflowing, the spout is on the left ..."
bm-gub, Jan 12 2006
  

       bum-gub you waited all this time? I salute you.   

       plumbing obviously turns you on, thats great.
po, Jan 12 2006
  

       Can't you put the dog doo in the trash? Why waste water for this? 80% of the landfills must contain stuff worse than dog doo already anyway. If it's one thing that nature already knows how to break down fast, it's animal output.   

       Good idea BTW.   

       [frogfreak] Neat thought, but you can't have the overflow bypass the trap. (Sinks don't do that. They overflow back into the trap.) The trap provides a liquid seal to prevent sewer gas from stinking up the house.
sophocles, Jan 12 2006
  

       With "I'm all for the move the wastebasket to catch the overflow idea", I think Zimmy hits upon a way to make it a reasonably acceptable idea. Disguise the whole thing as a waste basket holder.
half, Jan 12 2006
  

       Really, the challenge is getting any kind of sensor in the bowl area to detect that the bowl is overfilled (and then to do something about it). The bowl area needs to be simple to keep it purged, clean, etc. Having moving parts there would be difficult to keep clean & reliable.
sophocles, Jan 13 2006
  

       Far better to prevent stoppages than to have to cope with the effluent. [gtoal] is right, and in searching, I find this idea baked and redundant with another HB idea - see [links.]
csea, Jan 14 2006
  


 

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